Monday 17 August 2015 07:35, UK
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has labelled Arsenal's opening-day defeat to West Ham as a wake-up call and has vowed the Gunners will bounce back at Crystal Palace on Super Sunday.
An impressive pre-season campaign, featuring a Community Shied victory over Premier League champions Chelsea, had left an air of positivity around the Emirates Stadium on the dawn of the new season.
But the Gunners were brought back down to earth last Sunday as Slaven Bilic guided the Hammers to their first victory at the Emirates Stadium since 2007.
As a result, the Gunners head to Selhurst Park looking to kick-start their campaign, while atoning for the defeat, and Oxlade-Chamberlain admitted last week's result was a "shock to the system".
"The first game of the season at home, the way we have been playing, we felt we could go out there and get off to a good start - so it was a shock to the system, no doubt," the England winger told Sky Sports. "But it was an early wake-up call.
"The dressing room was very down after the game and we almost had to go around after half an hour of dead silence to pick ourselves up.
"I think we've shown over the past few seasons that we've got what it takes to go all the way. The key is that is has only been in parts. As a squad, we have to be more consistent because at the end of the day, half a season doesn't win you the league.
"The manager was very disappointed like we all were. He highlighted the positives from the game though, I think it's always important.
"There were some good points about the game and he highlighted the areas we need to work on."
Oxlade-Chamberlain's Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott is also certain the Gunners will atone for the losing start, and has highlighted manager Arsene Wenger as the key to their recovery.
"The best thing about the boss is that he always gets the belief back into the squad after a disappointing result," Walcott said.
"(The West Ham defeat) came as a shock to the system. It's always difficult to lose matches and, with the first game being at home, people expected massive things from us.
"I felt like a lot of teams didn't play their best football to be honest and we were one of those teams.
"We're going to make sure we put it right, and that is the main thing. There’s no point sulking about one game."
Catch Patrick Davison's full feature with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott on Super Sunday, followed by live coverage of Crystal Palace v Arsenal, 12:30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD. Not a subscriber? Get a Sky Sports Pass from NOW TV from just £6.99.
